US5974770A - Press in a filling and packaging apparatus - Google Patents

Press in a filling and packaging apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US5974770A
US5974770A US08/966,219 US96621997A US5974770A US 5974770 A US5974770 A US 5974770A US 96621997 A US96621997 A US 96621997A US 5974770 A US5974770 A US 5974770A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
pressure
press
fluid
seal bars
engaging member
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
US08/966,219
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English (en)
Inventor
Satoshi Kume
Hiroshi Katayama
Shigenori Tawa
Michio Ueda
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Shikoku Kakoki Co Ltd
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Shikoku Kakoki Co Ltd
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Assigned to SHIKOKU KAKOKI CO., LTD. reassignment SHIKOKU KAKOKI CO., LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KATAYAMA, HIROSHI, KUME, SATOSHI, TAWA, SHIGENORI, UEDA, MICHIO
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B51/00—Devices for, or methods of, sealing or securing package folds or closures; Devices for gathering or twisting wrappers, or necks of bags
    • B65B51/10—Applying or generating heat or pressure or combinations thereof
    • B65B51/26—Devices specially adapted for producing transverse or longitudinal seams in webs or tubes
    • B65B51/30—Devices, e.g. jaws, for applying pressure and heat, e.g. for subdividing filled tubes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a press for use in a lateral sealing process in a high-speed filling and packaging apparatus for manufacturing package containers each having a rectangular shape in cross section and filled with a fluid such as juice, particularly to a press provided with a hydraulic cylinder.
  • a conventional filling and packaging apparatus comprising a rewinder for supporting a web serving as a packaging material (hereinafter referred to simply as packaging material web) in a rolled state, a winding apparatus for winding the web in order from the rewinder, a tube-forming apparatus for forming the wound web in a tubular shape after sterilizing it, a fluid supply pipe for filling fluid in the packaging material web which was formed in the tubular shape, and a container-forming apparatus for laterally sealing the web and cutting sealed parts of the web to continuously form pillow-like containers each having a rectangular shape in cross section while downwardly supplying the tube filled with the fluid by the length corresponding to one container, and a container shaping apparatus for bending each end part of the pillow-like containers which are separated into individual ones to shape each pillow-like container in a parallelepiped container to be finally obtained (as disclosed in JP-B 1-23366 and JP-A 58-193206)).
  • the aforementioned container-forming apparatus nips a tube filled with a fluid content by a length corresponding to one container and seals it laterally, and cuts the intermediate portion of the sealed part of the tube as disclosed in JP-B 1-23366, wherein it comprises two pairs of seal bars respectively disposed to oppose each other and a press for producing a sealing pressure between a pair of seal bars when they are positioned in a closing position where they approach each other.
  • the above-mentioned conventional press comprises a stationary engaging member which is disposed at both right and left sides of one of the paired seal bars and has an upward engaging recess and a movable engaging member which is disposed at both sides of the other of the paired seal bars and has a downward engaging protrusion engaging with the engaging recess of the stationary engaging member.
  • the movable engaging member is secured to a piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder, and the piston rod is retreated in a state where the movable engaging member moves pivotally to engage with the stationary engaging member so that a sufficient sealing pressure of about 700 Kgf is produced between the seal bars.
  • the production of sealing pressure in the press owing to the retreat of the piston rod which is secured to the movable engaging member is performed by the oil under pressure of the hydraulic cylinder provided in the press, while the release of the sealing pressure and the advance of the piston rod is performed by the resilient force (about 30 Kgf) of a plurality of springs which are disposed coaxially in the cylinder and have different diameters at the same time when the hydraulic pressure is released, (e.g., see FIG. 12 of JP-B 1-23366).
  • the inventors of the application have developed a superhigh-speed filling and packaging apparatus capable of manufacturing containers at a rate far in excess of 6000 pieces per hour which has been made so far, namely, more than 8000 pieces of containers per hour (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-244707). If the lateral sealing is performed at high speed using a conventional press in such a high-speed filling and packaging apparatus, it is newly found that since the hydraulic cylinder having springs therein is movable pivotally at higher speed than the conventional filling and packaging apparatus, there occur various problems such as breakage of springs for a short period of time and breakage of the engaging members at the portion where they engage with each other, which have not been considered in the press of the conventional filling and packaging apparatus.
  • the press does not normally operate so that a package container in which incomplete lateral sealing is performed is manufactured, which causes a problem that a filler such as juice is leaked from the package container. If such leakage of the filler such as juice from the package container is visually recognized, it can be checked in a manufacturing process, but if such leakage is not visually recognized, it is very troublesome.
  • the present invention is to solve the problem of breakage of springs which occurred newly in the lateral sealing process employed by a high-speed filling and packaging apparatus and to provide a press capable of surely applying the pressure for a long period of time in the lateral sealing process employed by the high-speed filling and packaging apparatus.
  • the inventors have endeared themselves to study to solve the aforementioned problems and also to study a system of utilization of hydraulic pressure instead of springs, for avoiding other ascending and descending seal bars in the direction to advance the piston rod to which the engaging members are secured as a means for applying a biasing force, although such pipings become complex. And they found out a means capable of surely applying pressure for a long period of time in the lateral sealing process in the high-speed filling and packaging apparatus and of quickly detecting the inferior sealing, even if it occurs, and finally they completed this invention.
  • the present invention relates to a press which comprises seal bars and a pair of engaging members which are respectively provided at both right and left ends of said seal bars for producing a sealing pressure when they engage with each other for permitting said seal bars to nip a packaging material web which is filled with a fluid content and formed in a tubular shape
  • the press further comprises a means composed of a pressure of fluid such as air for applying a biasing force to at least one of the pair of engaging members in a direction to release engagement between the engaging members, namely, in the direction to advance the piston rod to which one of the engaging members is secured, and a pressure sensor capable of detecting change of pressure of fluid provided on a supply passage of fluid such as air.
  • the present invention relates to the press comprising seal bars and a pair of engaging members which are respectively provided at both ends of said seal bars for producing a sealing pressure when they engage with each other for permitting said seal bars to nip a packaging material web which is filled with a fluid and formed in a tubular shape
  • the press further comprises a first piston having a hole which directs toward a center and a radius thereof and communicates with the atmosphere, a second piston integrated with a piston rod, an air pressure chamber communicating with an air supply pipe, a hydraulic cylinder provided with a pressure chamber communicating with an oil supply pipe, and a pressure sensor provided on an air supply passage through which air is supplied to air pressure chamber through an air supply pipe for detecting change of pressure in the air supply passage
  • the engaging members comprise a movable engaging member which is secured to the piston rod and moves pivotally relative to one seal bar and a stationary engaging member which engages with the movable engaging member and is fixed to another seal bar.
  • the present invention also relates to a filling and packaging apparatus provided with
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a high-speed filling and packaging apparatus
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lateral sealing apparatus
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a press of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a partially sectional plan view of the press of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the press of the present invention.
  • a filling and packaging apparatus for which the press of the invention is particularly adapted comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, a rewinder for supporting a packaging material web 1 in a rolled state, a winding apparatus for winding the web in order from the rewinder, a tube-forming apparatus for forming the wound web in a tubular shape after sterilizing it, a liquid supply pipe 2 for filling a fluid content in the packaging material web which was formed in the tubular shape, and a lateral sealing apparatus 4 for laterally sealing the web and cutting sealed parts of the web to continuously form pillow-like containers 3 while downwardly supplying the tube filled with the fluid by the length corresponding to one container, a cutting apparatus 5 which is provided under the lateral sealing apparatus and cuts the sealed part of the hanging pillow-like container for cutting the container one by one, and a container shaping apparatus for bending the end parts of each separated pillow-like container 3 to shape each pillow-like container in a parallelepiped container 6 to be finally obtained.
  • the lateral sealing apparatus 4 it is possible to use the apparatus as disclosed in the aforementioned JP-B 1-23366. And as shown in FIG. 2, it comprises vertical rods 10 which are movable upward and downward and also turn reversibly, movable frames 11 which move upward and downward together with the vertical rods 10 and are secured to the vertical rods 10, a pair of front and back swing arm arms 12 and 13 which are respectively supported by the movable frames 11 so as to move pivotally about a pair of horizontal axes which are in parallel with each other thereunder, a pair of front and back seal bars 14 and 15 which are respectively secured to and oppose each other over the swing arms 12 and 13, an arm-closing device 16 for moving the swing arms 12 and 13 pivotally between a closing position where the seal bars 14 and 15 approach to each other and an opening position where the seal bars 14 and 15 move away from each other, and a press 20 provided on the seal bars 14 and 15 at right and left thereof for pulling the swing arms 12 and 13 against each other in the closing position to produce the sealing pressure between the seal bars
  • Two movable frames 11 synchronously move upward and downward alternately in a different direction with a given stroke. That is, when one movable frame 11 moves upward, the other movable frame 11 moves downward.
  • the seal bars 14 and 15 mutually close so that a tube 7 is forcibly pressed and sealed with a prescribed width in lateral sectional shape.
  • the seal bars 14 and 15 move downward together with the movable frame 11 while they press the tube 7, the tube 7 is fed by the length corresponding to one container.
  • the seal bars 14 and 15 open to release the tube 7.
  • the press 20 comprises a pair of right and left stationary engaging members 21 which are respectively integrally formed with the seal bar 15 of the swing arm 13 at both sides thereof and each having an upward engaging recess 21a, and movable engaging members 22 which are respectively integrally formed with the seal bar 14 of the swing arm 12 at both sides thereof and each having a downward engaging protrusion 22a which engages with the engaging recess 21a of the stationary engaging member 21.
  • a buffer material 23 may be provided on the stationary engaging member 21 at the portion where the tip end of the movable engaging member 22 contacts the stationary engaging member 21 by the pivotal motion of the movable engaging member 22.
  • the press 20 has hydraulic cylinders 24, and the hydraulic cylinders 24 are integrally provided at both ends of a horizontal rotary shaft 27 which penetrates a prismatic block 25 of the swing arm 12 and is provided in the block 25, and which is rotatably supported via a pair of bushes 26.
  • Two pistons 28 and 29 are incorporated inside the hydraulic cylinders 24.
  • O rings 30 and 31 are mounted in grooves defined in outer peripheries of these pistons to prevent leakage of air supplied to the air pressure chamber 33 through an air supply pipe 32 and oil supplied to an oil pressure chamber 35 through an oil supply pipe 34.
  • a communication hole 36 is bored in the piston 28 which bore directs toward the center and radius thereof. Even if air leaks from the O ring 30, it is discharged outside through the communication hole 36 defined in the piston 28, but not mixed in the oil pressure chamber 35.
  • a piston rod 37 is integrally provided with the piston 29 and the movable engaging member 22 is secured to the piston rod 37 as shown in FIG. 4.
  • Air is always supplied to the air pressure chamber 33 communicating with the air supply pipe 32 so as to always apply the biasing force in a direction to permit the piston rod 37 to be in an advancing position, namely, in a direction to advance (protrude) the piston rod to release the engagement between the engaging members.
  • Oil is supplied to the oil pressure camber 35 communicating with the oil supply pipe 34 when the engaging members 21 and 22 engage with each other so as to retreat the piston rod against the biasing force to produce the sealing pressure, while when the engaging members 21 and 22 disengage from each other, the supply of oil from the oil supply pipe 34 is stopped, thereby reducing the hydraulic pressure inside the oil pressure chamber 35 to zero.
  • a pressure sensor 38 capable of detecting the change of pressure in an air supply passage leading to the air supply pipe 32 is secured to the air supply passage.
  • the pressure sensor 38 always monitors the change of pressure and the filling and packaging apparatus is stopped when it detects a malfunction of pipes when they come off.
  • the oil supply pipe 34 penetrates the horizontal rotary shaft 27 in the axial direction thereof and communicates with the oil pressure chamber 35 of each hydraulic cylinder 24, and is connected with an operation oil pipe, not shown.
  • the movable engaging member 22 When the swing arms 12 and 13 pivotally move from the opening position to the closing position, the movable engaging member 22 remains in the forward upward inclined position from the state where it crosses at right angles with the swing arms 12 and 13. When the swing arms 12 and 13 reach the portion close to the closing position, the movable engaging member 22 turns together with the hydraulic cylinder 24 and changes its position from the upward inclined position to a horizontal position, and the tip end thereof engages with the stationary engaging member 21.
  • piston rods 28 and 29 may be integrated with each other to advance or retreat the piston rod 37 as a single piston.
  • air is employed as pressure medium for always applying the biasing force in the direction where the piston rod is advanced in the preferred embodiment
  • other pressure mediums such as oil and water may be used instead of air.
  • the pressure application in the lateral sealing process can be surely performed for a long period of time in a high-speed filling and packaging apparatus capable of manufacturing the 8000 pieces of package containers or more per hour as well as in the conventional filling and packaging apparatus.
  • the troublesome operation such as replacement of springs can be omitted and running cost involved in purchasing new springs can be omitted compared with the conventional case using the springs.
  • any spring has a spring constant which is not constant during the operation thereof, and a filling and packaging apparatus of this type requires a large sealing pressure, the spring constant is inevitably made large and the amount of change of the sealing pressure is made large.
  • the hydraulic pressure is utilized like the case of the present invention, the piston rod is advanced and retreated smoothly so that the sealing pressure is not changed every time the sealing is performed, thereby stabilizing the sealing surfaces of the seal bars.
  • the sealing pressures at the right and left of the seal bars have not been made uniform when using springs in the press of this type for operating the sealing pressure by a pair of right and left seal bars, the sealing pressures at the right and left of the seal bars are not dispersed to accomplish the uniform lateral sealing since the air pressure chambers of the right and left hydraulic cylinders communicate with each other by the employment of the fluid or hydraulic pressure like this invention.
  • the pressure sensor for always monitoring the change of pressure is provided on the air supply passage according to the present invention, it can detect instantaneously the malfunction of pipes when they come off if such malfunction occurs, thereby stopping the operation of the filling and packaging apparatus immediately to minimize the occurrence of production of an inferiorly sealed product.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)
  • Package Closures (AREA)
US08/966,219 1996-11-26 1997-11-07 Press in a filling and packaging apparatus Expired - Fee Related US5974770A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP31465096A JP3847391B2 (ja) 1996-11-26 1996-11-26 充填包装機械のプレス装置
JP8-314650 1996-11-26

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US5974770A true US5974770A (en) 1999-11-02

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ID=18055889

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US08/966,219 Expired - Fee Related US5974770A (en) 1996-11-26 1997-11-07 Press in a filling and packaging apparatus

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US5974770A (de)
EP (1) EP0844182B1 (de)
JP (1) JP3847391B2 (de)
CN (1) CN1106326C (de)
DE (1) DE69727363T2 (de)
DK (1) DK0844182T3 (de)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080289304A1 (en) * 2007-05-24 2008-11-27 Offmar S.R.L. Machine for the production of bags made of heat-sealed alveolar or foamed thermoplastic material
US10926507B2 (en) * 2014-06-27 2021-02-23 Pregis Intellipack Llc Protective packaging machines demonstrative content
US11124018B1 (en) * 2017-10-02 2021-09-21 David M. Brown Paint storage system, device, and method for storing paint

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115108090A (zh) * 2022-03-03 2022-09-27 广东永创智能设备有限公司 物料包装方法、横封装置及包装系统

Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1140057A (en) * 1965-05-06 1969-01-15 Tetra Pak Ab Improvements in and relating to press jaw systems
DE2751088A1 (de) * 1977-11-16 1979-05-17 Bosch Gmbh Robert Maschine zum herstellen quaderfoermiger packungen
US4384438A (en) * 1979-07-25 1983-05-24 Tetra Pak International Ab Arrangement on packing machines
EP0091712A2 (de) * 1982-04-13 1983-10-19 Ab Tetra Pak Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Behandlung einer Materialbahn
EP0140280A1 (de) * 1983-10-18 1985-05-08 Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. Behälterbildungsapparat für Verpackungsmaschine
EP0265021A1 (de) * 1984-10-12 1988-04-27 Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. Vorrichtung für die Behandlung eines Schlauches zum Herstellen von Verpackungsbehältern
US4757668A (en) * 1986-01-27 1988-07-19 Ilapak Research & Development S.A. Method and apparatus for form-fill-seal packaging of articles
JPS6423366A (en) * 1987-07-20 1989-01-26 Hitachi Ltd High-speed signal processor
US5027579A (en) * 1989-05-31 1991-07-02 Keip Machine Company Wrapping apparatus
US5540035A (en) * 1994-12-07 1996-07-30 Kliklok Corporation Continuous vertical form-fill-seal packaging machine with synchronized product clamp
JPH08244707A (ja) * 1995-03-06 1996-09-24 Nippon Porisutaa Kk 包装装置

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6193010A (ja) 1984-10-12 1986-05-12 四国化工機株式会社 包装機械における容器成形装置

Patent Citations (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1140057A (en) * 1965-05-06 1969-01-15 Tetra Pak Ab Improvements in and relating to press jaw systems
DE2751088A1 (de) * 1977-11-16 1979-05-17 Bosch Gmbh Robert Maschine zum herstellen quaderfoermiger packungen
US4384438A (en) * 1979-07-25 1983-05-24 Tetra Pak International Ab Arrangement on packing machines
US4580392A (en) * 1982-04-13 1986-04-08 Tetra Pak International Ab Method and an apparatus for the processing of a material web
JPS58193206A (ja) * 1982-04-13 1983-11-10 エービー　テトラ　パック 管状材料ウエブの加工方法とその装置
EP0091712A2 (de) * 1982-04-13 1983-10-19 Ab Tetra Pak Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Behandlung einer Materialbahn
EP0228362A1 (de) * 1982-04-13 1987-07-08 AB Tetra Pak Vorrichtung zum Behandeln einer Materialbahn
EP0140280A1 (de) * 1983-10-18 1985-05-08 Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. Behälterbildungsapparat für Verpackungsmaschine
EP0265021A1 (de) * 1984-10-12 1988-04-27 Shikoku Kakoki Co., Ltd. Vorrichtung für die Behandlung eines Schlauches zum Herstellen von Verpackungsbehältern
US4757668A (en) * 1986-01-27 1988-07-19 Ilapak Research & Development S.A. Method and apparatus for form-fill-seal packaging of articles
JPS6423366A (en) * 1987-07-20 1989-01-26 Hitachi Ltd High-speed signal processor
US5027579A (en) * 1989-05-31 1991-07-02 Keip Machine Company Wrapping apparatus
US5540035A (en) * 1994-12-07 1996-07-30 Kliklok Corporation Continuous vertical form-fill-seal packaging machine with synchronized product clamp
JPH08244707A (ja) * 1995-03-06 1996-09-24 Nippon Porisutaa Kk 包装装置

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
Copy of European Search Report 97119809 completed Mar.19, 1998. *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080289304A1 (en) * 2007-05-24 2008-11-27 Offmar S.R.L. Machine for the production of bags made of heat-sealed alveolar or foamed thermoplastic material
US7744516B2 (en) * 2007-05-24 2010-06-29 Offmar S.R.L. Machine for the production of bags made of heat-sealed alveolar or foamed thermoplastic material
US10926507B2 (en) * 2014-06-27 2021-02-23 Pregis Intellipack Llc Protective packaging machines demonstrative content
US11124018B1 (en) * 2017-10-02 2021-09-21 David M. Brown Paint storage system, device, and method for storing paint

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69727363D1 (de) 2004-03-04
JPH10157711A (ja) 1998-06-16
CN1106326C (zh) 2003-04-23
JP3847391B2 (ja) 2006-11-22
DK0844182T3 (da) 2004-06-07
CN1183366A (zh) 1998-06-03
DE69727363T2 (de) 2004-12-09
EP0844182B1 (de) 2004-01-28
EP0844182A1 (de) 1998-05-27

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